Brown University Health is preparing to absorb one of the state’s largest physician groups, putting more than 1,500 doctors under one entity – a strategic move that the hospital group says will enhance patient care.
But others say they just don’t see many benefits for the community.
Brown Health executives have informed investors they plan to merge Brown Physicians Inc. into its own Lifespan physician network and Brown Health Medical Group Primary Care – formerly Coastal Medical – to form a new group called Brown Health Medical Group.
The Federal Trade Commission is reviewing the proposal and a decision is expected to come this month, according to Peter Markell, Brown Health chief financial officer.
The merger would bring together some of the state’s largest physician practices under one umbrella. Brown Health has 1,035 local physicians as part of its physician group practices and Brown Physicians Inc. has 529, according to Providence Business News’ 2025 Book of Lists.
“Strategically, it’s really critical that we have them become part of us,” Markell said.
While Brown Health has said the transaction does not involve a purchase price, there will be costs in taking over Brown Physicians, including the expense of getting the doctors on Brown Health’s electronic health record system, called Epic.
But having all the physicians on one system will make it easier for patients to schedule appointments with primary care doctors and specialists, according to Brown Health.
Brown Physicians Inc. did not respond to messages seeking comment, but others are raising caution flags about the proposed merger.
Dr. Michael Fine, former director of the R.I. Department of Health, says consolidation in health care is usually associated with less competition and higher costs that are typically passed to patients.
Also, larger physician groups may be out of touch with the communities where their patients live, leading to less personalized care, he says.
One of the few possible benefits could be increasing people’s access to primary care doctors, Fine says. Markell has said Brown Health wants to add 30 to 40 primary care physicians in Rhode Island, but Fine says it’s a tall order to attract them.
Al Charbonneau, executive director of the Rhode Island Business Group on Health, says an “overwhelming” body of research shows health care-related mergers raise prices without noticeable improvement to quality or efficiency.
And, as Brown Health becomes larger, it will be more difficult to fit into value-based payment models, which reward hospitals for the quality of care they provide rather than fee-for-service models, he adds.
“These value-based payment models are the only ones that offer some hope for improving affordability of commercial health insurance in the state,” Charbonneau said.
Dr. Anna Matos-Mournighan, director of Salve Regina University’s health care administration master’s degree program, says that value-based care models are still viable under the merger.
It just comes down to the new group’s commitment to the payment model and whether its performance measures are focused on quality of care versus quantity.
Also, merging the physician groups could allow them to share financial risks and combine resources to cover the cost of personnel, equipment and building upgrades, as well as having more staff available on call, Matos-Mournighan says.
While there are merger costs, they won’t be passed onto consumers overnight, she says. Also, the move shows Brown Health is focused on staying financially healthy for the long term.
